Today, on the 14th of December, the 22@ Technical Office opens to become a point of reference that will centralise support to businesses and citizens in the economic, urban planning and sociocultural fields of the 22@ district. In particular, it aims to capture, boost, and strengthen projects related to the district’s development.

Located in the MediaTIC building, physically integrated into Barcelona Activa’s Business Support Office (BSO) and functionally integrated into the Municipal Institute of Urban Planning’s services, the new office is managed by the Barcelona City Council and offers face-to-face access, as well as online access via the barcelona.cat/22barcelona website. It functions as a one-stop-shop service, which manages business and urban planning operations relating to projects which develop the 22@ district.

The new office offers advice on the implementation of economic activity in the 22@ district, as well as supporting public and private initiatives which drive the management of land designated for housing. Beyond these services, this space also focuses on the promotion and coordination of public initiative projects and programmes involving the activation of unused space, incentivising social and cultural activities, such as the conversion of old factories into spaces for creation, production, exhibition and creative distribution.

Furthermore, in a second phase in 2021, advances will be made in international promotion and attracting public and private investment, with the objective of supporting funding at a municipal level and facilitating access to the necessary procedures.

The new 22@, an innovative project

The public leadership of this project is considered key to making the most of business potential and urban planning synergies operating in the district, where innovative and creative sectors coexist with formation centres and universities. In this sense, as well as strengthening the original clusters of the 22@ district, it hopes to enhance new strategic sectors of the city - such as the green, circular and the social solidarity economy - as well as the local economy to ensure that neighbourhoods also thrive. Since the year 2000, 47,408 jobs have been generated thanks to the district’s productive fabric.

The Technical Office is a step forward in the 22@ transformation plan, as well as new urban planning initiatives which are designed as a response to today’s challenges and to improve aspects of day-to-day life, housing, economic activity and the protection of heritage assets. As such, the Barcelona City Council has introduced a government measure which allows for the evolution of the old 22@ Plan “Towards a sustainable and inclusive city model”, which boosts the district’s innovative and creative economies.